Attention all 1999 R1100R oil nerds - A very short report on oil consumption

Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

Attention all 1999 R1100R oil nerds - A very short report on oil consumption

My 1999 R1100R now has 86k + on the clock. Last weekend (actually 4 total days) I rode to Darlington, SC for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race and then to my Mom's north of Atlanta for Mothers Day, what a good son I am .

I rode 1,839 miles and used a total of 175 cc of oil. The bike ran outstanding! Almost every inch highway miles at an indicated 80 to 85 mph which works out to approximately 75 miles per hour. The ride home I clocked almost 725 miles in a 12 hour period.

And, because the question will probably be asked, I am using Mobil 1 V-Twin 20/50 Synthetic as my choice of lubricant. This is a recent change for me as I have only been a Mobil 1 fan for maybe 5k miles at this point. Prior to that I was using good ol' Castrol 20/50 petroleum. There is a noticeable difference in mechanical noise with the Mobil 1 and I am extremely pleased so far.

I have been reading so many good things about Mobil 1 through the years and I wanted to see if Mobil 1 would help with some of the mechanical noise and ultimately engine longevity. I change engine oil and filter every 2.5k but I always noticed the Castrol would turn a bit noisier somewhere around the 1k mark. This seemed to be in agreement with many of the oil articles I read as many stated petro oil would begin to break down at the 1k mark even though you could still continue to use it.

Mobil 1 has exceeded my own expectations with respect to mechanical noise. We'll possibly see as to the longevity side of it as I may or may not keep the bike long enough. For now I am a believer.

The points I deducted for you having attended a NASCAR race are more than compensated for by 1. You admitting it, and 2. You visiting your mom right afterwards.

My "S" has done the LA-Vancouver-LA trip twice. A total of about 5,000 km (3,000 miles). Similar speeds to yourself with some really hot weather (100F +) thrown in for good measure. On both trips total oil usage was about 250cc. I too use Mobil 1 but its the 15-50 automotive variety. I've been using this oil (in different grades) for about 25 years in all my cars and bikes. Checking the specs between the automotive and the "V-Twin" formulation reveals very little difference so I save myself a few bucks.

The points I deducted for you having attended a NASCAR race are more than compensated for by 1. You admitting it, and 2. You visiting your mom right afterwards.

My "S" has done the LA-Vancouver-LA trip twice. A total of about 5,000 km (3,000 miles). Similar speeds to yourself with some really hot weather (100F +) thrown in for good measure. On both trips total oil usage was about 250cc. I too use Mobil 1 but its the 15-50 automotive variety. I've been using this oil (in different grades) for about 25 years in all my cars and bikes. Checking the specs between the automotive and the "V-Twin" formulation reveals very little difference so I save myself a few bucks.

And those are my two cents.

At the risk of losing points I have to admit I LOVE NASCAR. Exciting racing, amazing technology and a true team effort. They don't go on strike and they don't cry poverty like so many pro ball players. In addition, drugs are just about non-existant. And they actually say a real prayer prior to the race which may not be so popular today in many circles.

At the risk of losing points I have to admit I LOVE NASCAR. Exciting racing, amazing technology and a true team effort. They don't go on strike and they don't cry poverty like so many pro ball players. In addition, drugs are just about non-existant. And they actually say a real prayer prior to the race which may not be so popular today in many circles.

I will respect NASCAR when they demonstrate an ability to go left AND right in the same race. To date, they've got nothing at all on MotoGP or even AMA.

Not to nit-pick, well,....ok I'm gonna nit-pik. How do you know your R11 used exactly 175cc of oil in 1,839 miles? The crankcase holds four quarts, 3,784cc of oil. So you are saying your bike used about 4.5% of the total crankcase volume in 1,839 miles. That's great!! That's what it should do, or evel less. Not to sound disrespectful, but bear with me.

How do you measure that 175cc. If you say you filled the bike with four quarts (3,784cc, AND got all 3,784cc into the engine), and drained the oil after travelling 1,839 miles and got exactly 175cc less, I'd question that too. Because how do you know you got all the oil out, and what would you measure it into unless you had a 4,000cc graduated beaker. Many of us know R11's are notorious to hold oil up in the cooler, many know the oil level in the sight glass will vary daily, even with four quarts in the engine. Also, the amount of oil level change in the crankcase from center of the sight glass to top, or bottom, is about a pint (473cc). A pint, 473cc is only 12.5% of the total crankcase oil volume.

In other words, unless you were able to measure the oil very accurately, its kind of a moot point. I don't mean to belittle your post. But, Oilheads, once past 20,000 miles SHOULD use very little oil. They do take a while and miles to totally break in. My 94 RS used oil for the 1st year I rode it. In the 2nd year I had more than 20k on it and, oil consumption went way down. It now has more than 170,000 miles on it and uses negligible oil. So little in fact that I don't monitor it other than watching the "trend" of oil level in the sight glass.

So, good on you to have a properly running Oilhead. One of the many reasons I love my 94 RS is it is SO reliable. Because it is so reliable, I simply ride it more, monitor the oil level "trend", and enjoy the miles of smiles it gives me. Ride it more and be happy. There have been many discussions about oil consumption, good discussions, like this one. I just question the "accurate" oil use claims.

Oh, NASCAR, good, real American racing, and prayer done in a national setting is good too. But dirt-track is my favorite, along with GP-bikes. NASCAR has got nuthin on drafting like a mile dirt-track, with three to five lead changes per lap!

I will respect NASCAR when they demonstrate an ability to go left AND right in the same race.

What colour is the sky in your world?

Hey, I've seen these 3500 pound behemoths being thrown around Watkins Glen. While I think I could lap faster on my bicycle, I have to say (spoken like a good old southern boy), "They sure do slide good!!".

I will respect NASCAR when they demonstrate an ability to go left AND right in the same race. To date, they've got nothing at all on MotoGP or even AMA.

Oh yes they do... it's called sponsorship and money. And, multi-million dollar race teams to go along with it. And, adults that tend to make for good corporate advertising as opposed to motorcycle racers who tend to come off as if they just left the 'hood if you know what I mean. Hat's too big for their head and just not groomed well for corporate America. As much as I love motorcycle racing NASCAR handles its sponsorship obligations in a far more professional manner in my opinion. Rick Hendrick and his folks tend to present themselves extremely well and donates who knows how much money to various organizations.

Not to nit-pick, well,....ok I'm gonna nit-pik. How do you know your R11 used exactly 175cc of oil in 1,839 miles? The crankcase holds four quarts, 3,784cc of oil. So you are saying your bike used about 4.5% of the total crankcase volume in 1,839 miles. That's great!! That's what it should do, or evel less. Not to sound disrespectful, but bear with me.............

Easy question to answer. Prior to leaving on the trip I installed a brand new oil window as the original had seen better days. I filled the oil to an exact spot in reference to a marking found within the window crankcase seal so I could measure the usage with some accuracy on my return. This is a one time deal as I will not be measuring in the future; I just wanted to check out usage at this point in time. For over 4 decades I have used a special tool in my tool box called a baby bottle. Baby bottles come with cc increments on the side of the bottle. When I came back I poured in 100 cc and drove the bike to the store and then let it sit overnight. It was still a bit short. Added another 50 cc and rode and parked overnight. Still short. Adding another 25 cc did the trick by ending up at the mark discussed previously after driving and letting it sit overnight.

Good enough for NASA? Probably not but good enough for me. By the way, I have never had to add 4 quarts during oil and filter changes. 3.75 seems to be the magic number to arrive midway on the window. I always do the drain when the oil is hot and let it drain for maybe 30 minutes or so prior to the fill.

Perhaps I will revisit consumption at 100k and every 25k thereafter... we'll see.

Oh yes they do... it's called sponsorship and money. And, multi-million dollar race teams to go along with it. As much as I love motorcycle racing NASCAR handles its sponsorship obligations in a far more professional manner in my opinion.

Yup, brawls between competing race teams and drivers throwing their helmets at other cars certainly raises the level of presentation. For a true representation of NASCAR, I recommend that famous documentary which I think PBS put together. Its called Talladega Nights. Just sayin'...

And where do I order one of those special tools you use? I believe you called it a baby bottle? Just kiddin' - we're on the same page here.

Yup, brawls between competing race teams and drivers throwing their helmets at other cars certainly raises the level of presentation. For a true representation of NASCAR, I recommend that famous documentary which I think PBS put together. Its called Talladega Nights. Just sayin'...

And where do I order one of those special tools you use? I believe you called it a baby bottle? Just kiddin' - we're on the same page here.

Don't you just love when Tony Stewart throws his helmet at that car in that short clip? I think they call it passion in racing! In a non-racing environment work place you get either reprimanded and/or fired. Why the difference I wonder? Does the standard business not believe in passion? The problem in most dealerships is no one is filled with passion therefore the quality of customer care degrades.

I visited a Harley store recently, an extremely large one. I walked around for 5 minutes (yes, I clocked it) and not a single individual said anything to me. I decided to leave but then made the decision to walk around another 5 minutes as surely someone would acknowledge my presence. After a full 10 minutes with zero employees recognizing they had a warm body within the store I left. Never ceases to amaze me. Then they wonder why the P&L is performing so poorly. I prefer to leave my money with dealerships that have actually trained the help to say something to me.